Avatar: A Legacy Untold
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Somewhere, someplace in space and time, a universe has shifted. Threads have come undone and fate has been unwound, destiny shaped and broken a thousand times over. Lives will be shattered and events altered, reality bent double until it is naught but a shadow of its former self. Because a new Avatar has awakened and her name is not Aang. Narukoxharem. Warning! Yuri involved!
1. Reborn

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm on the mend. Even better, My grandpa's all but recovered from congestive heart failure, and I managed to sell my old house, though all that money went to more bills. Ugh. Anywho, I've finished moving my things and am now a proud resident of East Berlin, Pennsylvania! Alas I'm now jobless, and the bills are piling up because of my health. Fun, right? But enough about this.**

**As I'm sure you've all noticed, I've been on a bit of an updating binge as of late. I've rewatched several shows, reread manga to its latest chapter. And I realized something. I wanted to try my hand at a slower-paced fic. My others are just fine, but I wanted to make this more realistic. More character time, instead of setting Naruto on a path and making him run it, he'll walk before he remembers what it truly means to sprint.**

**On that note, I should warn you. This Naruto is a bit more vulnerable-emotionally-than most. Why, you ask? Because unlike his others counterpart there's very little left to redeem here and he really isn't afraid to shed blood. However, his tendency to violence has also made him emotionally crippled of a sort. You'll soon see why. **

**Anywho, I managed to put this up here at points between job hunting. A bunch of you have been clamoring for another NarutoxAvatar fic when I thought of this, so...**

**...I give you my laest work!**

_"I will kill them...each and every one of them!"_

_~?!_

**Reborn**

Somewhere, someplace in space and time, a universe shifted. Threads came undone and fate was unwound, destiny was shaped and broken a thousand times. Lives were shattered and events altered, reality bent until it was nearly doubled over in agony. A thousand lives were simultaneously extinguished in the blink of an eye. Walls were shattered. Bodies burned. An entire culture was laid to waste in the span of a single night, nigh but obliterated by a power-crazed madman and his inane dellusions of power.

And it all centered around a girl.

Tongues of fire scrawled around her body, fizzling angrily in the rain. Streamers of water encircled her. Currents of air tugged at her matted blonde tresses. Pillars of earth shifted in the ocean floor beneath her feet. All the power of the Avatar State lay at her fingertips, and yet in her state of turmoil she was powerless to control it. Powerless. Weak. Helpless. She screamed in frustration and the heavens cried out with her, thundering their almighty fury, drowning her words out amidst torrents of white-capped water.

She thrashed furiously in the sea as it took her, struggling to stay afloat with her bison. At first, she succeeded. Despite the ghastly burns marring her right arm, stinging in the salt of the sea, she somehow managed to right herself and suck in a gasp of much-needed oxygen.

Then the ocean crashed down on her once more, tearing at her robes and ruthlessly forcing her head under. It was only for an instant, but in that split-second, that heartbeat of mind-numbing terror, she panicked. The world spun around her, her eyes unable to tell up from down as her hands flailed at the water. Gasping she fumbled to the surface, clinging tight to the shaggy coat of her mount once more.

They had told her to run, to take Appa and escape the destruction of the temple when the Fire Nation attacked. It had been the hardest thing she'd evern done. All her friends, playmates, Aang and the others. Gone. It had to be her, they said. She was the Avatar, they said. She needed to survive. To live on. To run. Flee fro, the forces pursuing her. But how did you outrun a storm? You didn't. She had no idea where she was now-not that it would've mattered anyway. Her people were dead. Gone. With every second of her flight she had felt their passing, gentle souls torn from this world and flung into the void.

Extinct.

She could feel it in her heart. They were gone, and there was nothing she could do to bring them back. Now heaven itself seemed intent to send her on its way to join them. It would've been so simple to give in, to just surrender and let the water take her. But she didn't. The only thing keeping her afloat was the anger, an undying _hate_ for those who had perpetuated their untimely deaths and sent her people to their graves. Were one to know this girl, indeed, had they met her only a few days ago, they would've called her kind. Gentle even. Unwilling to hurt so much as a fly. But now?

Uzumaki Naruko, fifteen years of age, one of the only females of the Southern Air Temple, and currently the last of her people? She felt only one thing. Anger.

But even the hatred wasn't enough now. Her resolve was wavering. Every pent up doubt, every thing she'd ever questioned, all of it gnawed at the back of Naruko's head, like an itch she couldn't scratch. Mastery of the wind wasn't enough; unable to command the raging storm around her, unable to save Appa or even herself, she succumbed.

_I...I can't..._

With one final and defiant shout, she sank beneath the waves after Appa. This was it. She was done. Finished. She was going to die her, alone and forgotten, and there was nothing she could do about it.

**_Yes, you can._** Countless voices answered her, an ancient power taking hold over her very body.

Blue eyes flashed into white.

* * *

_(Many years later...)_

The Southern Water Tribe was renowned for very little in these icy wastes she called home. Unlike her Northern brothers and sisters she did not have dozens upon dozens of waterbenders at her beck and call; countless raids by the Fire Nation had seen to that long ago. Only one bender remained, and even she was slowly coming into her own. Given time and training she might make a name for herself someday-perhaps even prove to be a peerless master above all.

But for now, Katara was just a girl, fishing the arctic wastes with her brother. Fishing, and failing to catch any fish!

"Will you please stop playing your little water games?!" Sokka groaned, wringing out his parka. "That's twice now!"

A moment ago, he'd been on the brink of catching dinner when she'd accidentally doused him with water in her own attempt to catch a fish. Yes, she'd gone and gotten _him_ wet. Now, Sokka was no stranger to the cold, but, he was not enjoying the sensation. Not in the least! His sole satisfaction was that he'd managed to catch said fish before it could escape back into the briny depths. He made for quite a sight, she thought his crystal blue eyes shadowed by sopping wet bangs, his lips quirked downward in a slight frown, gloved mitten clenching tight their hard-earned dinner. If not for that last remark, she would've been laughing.

"They're not games, Sokka." she admonished, her face dimpling into a rare frown. "They're-

"Right right, an ancient art indigenous to our tribe." her brother finished mockingly. "Because that's completey

"Look out!"

A heartbeat later, the warning proved prophetic. The canoe smashed through a pane of ice with a mighty crash, sending their hard won catch flopping out of the canoe and back into the sea.

"No!" Sokka cried! "Not my fish! Katara, do something!"

"Oh, _now _you want me to?!"

"Iceburg!"

"What do you mean Ice-BURG?!"

The brunette jerked her head upwards, drawn from her chastisement just in time to witness the inexplicable; an iceburg was indeed rising from the depths of the ocean, right in their path. Before she could think to do anything about their impending doom the glacier was suddenly upon them, dashing their canoe against its unfeeling edifice; flinging them from its confines to send them sprawling head over heels in a hilarious tumble of arms and legs. Their previous squabble was all but forgotten, however, as they gazed upon the construct responsible for the loss of their craft.

"Hey, there's someone in there." Katara murmurred.

Indeed, upon closer inspection one could see that the iceburg was no iceburg at all, but rather a sphere. And trapped within that sphere, sitting seiza style before what could only be described as an incredibly massive _something _was a girl. White eyes glared unflinchingly out at them, frozen in time, her whiskered cheeks pinched in a silent grimace of exertion. And yet there was something about those eyes. As if they were calling to her somehow...calling...her...

Sokka blanched as his sister clamored out from under him and found her footing. He knew that look in her eye; that inate curiosity that so defined her. Fumbling on the slick terrain, he started after his sibling, realizing too late what she intended to do. Even now she was extending her arm, haltingly moving toward the icy sphere in trepidation of what she might find awaiting her within that icy prison.

"Um, Katara, I really don't think we should touch-

Too late, she reached out and did just that.

_-it."_

That was all it took.

One brush of her gloved palm and the iceburg burst into radiance, shattering like so much glass. A pillar of light erupted into the sky, a heavenly beacon for all wayward eyes to see. Wind ripped through the air in a sad and mournful howl, a keening cry that bespoke of agony and despair, a heartbreak so painful it brought tears to the eye.

**_...thank you."_ **A timeless voice, legion personified, spoke to them. _**"For freeing her."**_

From that wind, within that unholy radiance, _she_ emerged. Tall and lithe yet not quite slim. Every step was taken with a brief, transient grace, her bare, arrow-adorned feet padding softly against the icy snow. Her eyes were narrow and hard, the most blinding shade of white.

Molten gold hair lay tied back in a pair of twin ponytails, the twin tethers of her hair thrashing furiously in the unseen gale summoned by her unexpected reawakening. There was an anger in those eyes, Katara realized, an unspeakable and righteous fury barely leashed by the girl's own humanity. Looking over her, she could see why.

For all her grace and poise the strange girl was injured. Her right arm and shoulder were horribly _burned_ a swathe of angry red flesh marring and leading up to her neck, a blight on her otherwise flawless beauty. If she was at all impeded by this injury she did precious little to show it yet still functional, evidenced by her hand's effortless touch of her savaged sleeve.

"Whoa...

Jaw clenched, her gaze seemed to bore right through them. Suddenly, she smiled. Once more that strange not-voice inssued forth from her mouth.

_**"We leave her in your hands."**_

Then she collapsed.

Katara darted forward to catch her even as she fell, the stranger collapsing quietly into her arms as the light issuing forth from her body vanished. There was no pulse. It was as if she'd simply ceased to be, exhausted by the strain of summoning forth such power.

"Hey?!" Katara exclaimed. "Are...are you alright?!"

Slowly she stirred, blue eyes fluttering open with a groan. Unbidden, the waterbender felt her heart skip a beat. And when she spoke, her voice was as sweet as honey.

"Ugh...what day is it?"

* * *

_(Meanwhile)_

Leagues away, Prince Zuko saw it. And how could he not?

Rocketing into the heavens like an arrow loosed from a bow, the great pillar of light dominated his vision, demanding his awe, his attention. His everything. He could feel it calling out to him like a clarion call; the return of his honor merely a few miles to the north. A single thought dominaited his mind, turning his scarred face intent with fury. It did not matter to him when it cut off abruptly, he already knew his heading. Knew what did await him there, not just the fight of his life, but the chance to finally, at long last, return home.

_'At long last, I've found him.'_

That which his father, grandfather, and even his great grandfather had been unable to find.

_The Avatar._

With a brisk stride he stalked past his guards and into the bowels of the ship, dutifully ignoring his uncle when he asked to join him for tea. Zuko did not have time for tea. Not when his destiny awaited. Perhaps had he lingered he might have noticed Iroh's slight smile in passing. Might've heard his words. But as it stood Zuko did not listen, instead, he stormed into the cabin and issued a fateful order that would forever reshape his life in ways he had yet to foresee. Unknowing of this, he still gave the order:

"Helmsman, head for the light!"

**A/N:**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would you Kindly? And of course, enjoy the Preivew! Also, the next chapter for Die Another Day _is _coming out soon-I've already got well more than Seven thousand words and I just want to live up to your grand expectations, is all =D**

**(Preview!)**

_Naruko stepped forward, staff whirling slowly in her hand. There was an anger in her eyes Katara realized, the playful teenager with whom she'd come to associate herself having all but vanished in the wake of this new and unexpected arrival. And still the whiskered blond advanced, her lips pulling back to expose an angry, toothy grin._

_"Ohhhhhhh," she hissed at Zuko. "I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."_

_To his credit, the prince only blinked._

_He saw one thing in Naruko's eyes as he met the girl's steely gaze, and with mounting dread he realized he had seen it too late._

_"Who are-_

_He never did get to finish that sentence._

_Because the blond snarled, and he suddenly found himself slammed back into the hull of his ship. Wave after wave of wind assaulted him, savaging his armor, relentlessly beating him down, battering at him from every side, offering no respite and no relent in the slightest. Death was the name of this creature, this seemingly hapless, ditzy, girl he'd glanced over without a secound thought. But even as he saw the arrows tattooed upon her arms, even as her eyes flashed white, he realized his mistake. _

_With every ounce of strength within her, Naruko sent her fist flying towards the monster whose only sin was being part of the Fire Nation. Zuko'snose crumpled beneath the blow with a sickening crunch and he toppled back onto the icy floor. __Yes, her name was death._

_And she had come for him!_

** R&R! =D**


	2. Rise

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm on the mend. Even better, My grandpa's all but recovered from congestive heart failure, and I managed to sell my old house, though all that money went to more bills. Ugh. Anywho, I've finished moving my things and am now a proud resident of East Berlin, Pennsylvania! Alas I'm now jobless, and the bills are piling up because of my health. Fun, right? But enough about this.**

**As I'm sure you've all noticed, I've been on a bit of an updating binge as of late. I've rewatched several shows, reread manga to its latest chapter. And I realized something. I wanted to try my hand at a slower-paced fic. My others are just fine, but I wanted to make this more realistic. More character time, instead of setting Naruto on a path and making him run it, he'll walk before he remembers what it truly means to sprint.**

**On that note, I should warn you. This Naruto is a bit more vulnerable-emotionally-than most. Why, you ask? Because not only is he a SHE, but unlike his others counterpart there's very little left to redeem here and she really isn't afraid to shed blood for the sake of her duty. However-her tendency to violence has also made her emotionally crippled of a sort. She's not exactly open to positive emotion at present, but that'll be a changing soon. She's been scarred-in more ways than one-and it shows in this chapter.**

**Anywho, I managed to put this up here at points between job hunting. A bunch of you have been clamoring for another chapter in my NarutoxAvatar ficlets, so...**

**...I give you my latest chapter!**

_"We forge our own honor! It is not given to us!"_

_~?!_

**Rise**

"A hundred years...

Naruko's jaw snapped shut, her teeth jarring together with a harsh click of enamel. Her once tan visage had turned ghost white, a pallid expresson overtaking her whiskered features. When she'd asked for the day, she had also gotten the year. One hundred years. She had spent one hundred years locked in that iceburg while her family fought and died for her. A hundred years as war undoubtedly raged across the land, consuming all in its fiery inferno. And where had she been? Locked in an ice cube. It was wrong. Not right. She should've been there. Should've stayed. Should've fought.

Wrong.

She wanted to shout. Tear at her hair and scream. This was all wrong. It was too much. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, her body threatening to hyperventilate as all those god-awful memories crashed down around her ears; her arm and shoulder throbbing something awful as the phantom pains of the fire stabbed into her. Even now she could hear the screams and smell the smoke. Feel it clogging her lungs, as if she had never left. But she had left. Fled, because they'd told her to.

Wrong.

She had to go back. Back to the Air Temple. Maybe...maybe some of the monks had survived after all these years and continued on. It was a foolish hope, but it was the only thing driving her now besides the hate. The anger burned through her like wildfire now, threatening to consume her in its burning throes of passion. She had to leave. Get far, far away from here. Dimly, she was aware of the one known as Katara speaking, but it may as well have been a whisper for all it was worth; the voices were screaming at her now, condemning her for her cowardice.

_Wrongwrongwrongwrongwrong!_

"Are you alright?"

The blonde stiffened as a mitten-covered hand closed around her scarred arm. Without thinking she jerked away, bending the air around her as she leapt into the air. Wind roared around her from the sudden ascent; an immutable current of power burgeoning her body and sending her rocketing upwards into the sky. For a wonderful moment it was just her and the clouds, none of the soul-crushing guilt that had burdened her from that cruel instant she opened her eyes to find she was alone in this world. Then she descended, reality and gravity exerting their dominance over her once more.

Upon landing, she found herself seen in a new light. The boy-she knew not his name-was the first to recover his voice.

"You just jumped and flew ten feet in the air!"

"..."

His sister blinked, realization dawning across her dark face.

"You're-

"An Airbender, yes. I think that's rather obvious by now." Naruko didn't mean to snap at the girl really; it just happened. The words came out harsh and biting-forcing her to flinch. She herself nearly cringed at the acid in her own words. But everything was still raw and fresh and so painful now. She could barely think straight, let alone hold a proper conversation. "The _Last_ Airbender, probably." she ammended softly, eyes tearing just a touch at the thought. Aang and all the others...pleading for her to flee...

"Are you sure?" Katara asked, her curiosity emerging once again in the wake of this unspoken apology. "I heard they dissapeared over a hundred years ago."

"They did." Naruko frowned, a muscle jumping in her jaw as she battled the urge to bite back. "I was there when the Fire Nation burned our home to the ground."

The waterbender faltered and averted her eyes from that cyrstalline gaze. "Oh...I'm sorry for your loss."

Naruko paused at that, a rare frown marring her face. What was wrong with this one? Why was she so compassionate? She herself couldn't claim to have much experience with her fairer sex having been the only girl at the Southern Air Temple, but this? It was baffling. What was Katara to her? A stanger? Ally? Acquaintance? Perhaps... even a...friend? She didn't know how to deal with this. And what if she-Katara-was? Aang had been the closest thing she'd ever had to one outside of Appa. At least until the monks had told her she was the Avatar. After that, there had been no time for friends, only training. She'd dutifully accepted this, mastering her Airbending talents, taking the skill to a level few her age could ever dream of. She had created wind-based techniques capable of unquantified levels of destruction such as the _Rasengan_ and _Rasenshuriken,_ reached the highest level of mastery she possibly could.

But none of that training could've prepared her for the simple kindness there in Katara's eyes.

Mastering all four elements and saving the world was one thing. But this? Talking to someone who'd saved her life? One who'd set her free from a prison of her own making? It was like trying to speak hogmonkey. She felt hot. Flustered. She didn't know _how _to deal with this. And that frightened her. It didn't make any sense. Perhaps-no. She needed to leave. Now.

"Thank you." she bowed and turned away, striding back toward the hole, clutching her staff tight. "I...I have to go."

"Where?"

Naruko stopped in her tracks, her face slowly appearing over her shoulder as she curiously regarded her once fallen saviour. A look of confused irritation crossed her visible eye as it regarded the baffled bender behind her. What was it about this girl that confounded her so? What had her so ill-at-ease? She didn't understand. And the lack of knowing only worried Naruko all the more.

"Does it really matter?" she muttered. At Katara's piteous expression, she sighed. "If you must know, I intend to return home and search for my people. Then I suppose I'll head to the North Pole and master the art of Waterbending under a teacher. Unless the South Pole has capable benders?"

"But...

"But?" Naruko frowned.

"You're an Airbender." Katara pointed out. "How can you Waterbend?"

"For your information, I am also an Earthbender and a Firebender." she spat the last part with distaste, lips curling hatefully around the word. "I just have yet to learn them, is all." She'd meant the words to discourage the younger girl; imagine her surprise instead when Katara jolted forward to take hold of her hands in her own. The look on the girl's face was nothing short of rapturous, as though she'd just been told the secret to life or somesuch. Naruko visibly squirmed at the unexpected contact, moreso when the young waterbender leaned towards her.

"You're the Avatar!" she exclaimed!

"Yes," the girl's voice was a pained whisper. "And I'd rather not talk about it right now, if its all the same to you. Now, please...let go of me."

Katara reluctantly aquescied the request. Naruko found herself stricken by the sudden urge to apologize. Another inexcusable breach of her character. Rage at the Fire Nation aside she should be calmer than this. More controlled. Calm. And yet when she looked into Katara's eyes, she felt positively skittish. Perhaps her selfless, undiluted kindness reminded her of Aang. Perhaps she was simply being nice. Maybe this was all just some strange side effect after being cryogenically frozen for so many years. Whatever the case she could not purge it from her mind, and it galled her.

_By the wind, what's wrong with me? I'm alone now, and yet-_

As if to punctuate this question a low rumble shuddered through the air, jerking her back to the present. Just like that, the blond remembered; she wasn't alone. In her anger and anxieties she'd all but forgotten about the other occupant of her icy prison.

"Appa!"

When the smile finally blossomed across her face, Katara it was brighter than the sun itself. To see a pained face like that suddenly light up nearly took her breath away. Or perhaps it was the knowledge that she'd just held hands with a girl who claimed to be the Avatar. Whatever the case she found herself speechless as Clamoring up the side of the glacier, Naruko flung herself over the rim. Sure enough there he was, his furry coat, rustling with each breath, his eyes closed in deep slumber. He was alive. Alive!

"C'mon, big guy." she nudged him lightly, affectionately. "Rise and shine."

The large bison complied with an equally large rumble, its eyes fluttering open slowly at her behest. Naruko yelped when her old friend decided to give her a mighty lick, its longue pink tongue coating her battered body in a thick layer of saliva. Naruko didn't care. She was too relieved. He'd been her constant companion ever since she was little; the knowledge that he might not have survived being frozen for the last century had been almost too much for her distressed mind to bear...

"W-W-What the heck is that thing?!" Sokka gawped, startling her. Ah. He'd been so silent she'd nearly forgotten about him; hadn't even noticed him or his sister following her around the bend. Frowning, she turned and began to tug at Appa's reins, ensuring they were still serviceable after having been rigid in ice for so long. Then there was her staff to reclaim, the weapon having been stored away securely in the saddle. It felt good, to have it back in her hands again.

"This is Appa, my flying bison." she said, ignoring their questing stares.

_"Riiiiight."_ Sokka's deadpann was barely concealed, though she didn't see it. "And this is Katara, my flying sister."

"Hey!"

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated, water tribe." Naruko frowned, her lips quirking ever so slightly at Sokka's scowl. "What? I take it you two live somewhere around here?" When Katara began to answer she began to turn around, having finished adjusting Appa's reins-

That was a mistake.

"Don't answer that, Katara!" Naruko started slightly as she spun and found herself face to face with the business end of Sokka's spear. "Did you see that crazy bolt of light?! She was probably trying to signal the Fire Na-urk!" The breath exploded out of his lungs as a wall of wind contemptuously backhanded him into the glacier, emptying his diaphragm within a mighty woosh. Katara was still in the proccess of opening her mouth to all but chatise him when she say reprimand her brother for his cold insinuation when Naruko shot past her, shrieking like a banshee.

Then she saw it.

"You shall not," Naruko hissed, pressing down against his throat with the staff, "Associate me...with those savages." Her grip tightened white-knuckled around her staff. "They murdered my people in cold blood. I am all that remains. They're murd_**e**_**_rers, the lot of them!"_** As if to punctuate that statement, her eyes flashed white, words resonaiting with the voices of a thousand men and women. _**"And I will have you take back what you said!" **_

"Wait," Sokka started, choking slightly as she intensified the pressure. _"You're_ the Avatar?"

Naruko blinked in disbelief, the eerie glow fading from her eyes and tattoos.

"I just told your sister that! We'ren't you listening?!"

"Hey, I was distracted by the giant bison!"

"Okay enough, both of you!"

Naruko and Sokka growled as they found themselves abruptly thrust apart by Katara, the waterbender quickly interposing herself between them. Yet even arm's length wasn't enough to stem the animosity between the pair. Sokka scowled. Naruko hissed.

"He insulted my people!"

"She tried to kill me!"

"Only after _you_ insulted her." Katara admonished, swatting her brother upside the head with a mitten. "Now apologize!"

...sorry." Sokka sulked.

"Forgiven." Naruko replied in a measured tone, though her eyes failed to properly convey the emotion.

"Alright, lets try this again. The paranoid there one is my brother, Sokka." At Naruko's unflinching stare, the latter cowered slightly. "And you are?"

The teenage Avatar held her silence a moment longer before relenting.

"Naruko."

"That's a lovely name." Katara smiled.

The blond spluttered helplessly.

Sokka groaned. "Gigantic light beams, flying bison, Avatars-that does it. I think I've got midnight sun madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes sense." The young warrior made to do just that, only to discover an open expanse of water stretching before him, with nothing else in sight. He could feel Naruko's stare boring into his back as he realized his unfortunate plight. To his dismay, he saw Katara was already climbing up after her, the Airbender even reaching down to hoist her up. To make matters worse she was looking right at him, smirking sinisterly from her place in the saddle. That grin of hers, he thought, was just a touch too vindictive for his liking.

"I _could_ give you a ride home," she called tauntingly, "But Appa doesn't like sarcasm."

Torn between his pride and his stomach, Sokka made a decision.

"Ugh, fine!"

Clamoring up after them, he resolutely ignored the fact that a girl had just gotten the better of him. Oh, but he would learn...in time.

"So can Appa really fly?" Katara asked.

For the first time since she'd met them, Naruko smirked. Clutching the reins tightly, she gave them a gentle tug. Two words were uttered:

"Yip. Yip."

Sokka's girly squeal as they took flight, she decided, was particularly satisfying.

* * *

Being introduced to Katara's village however, was not. It was, for lack of a word, incredibly awkward.

Avatar or not, Naruko had never been very fond of gatherings. She'd always been socially awkward ever since she was little, preferring the silent solace of solitude to large groups of people. In that way at least she was still a monk. Her unique whisker markings and golden hair had simply been another factor in ostracizing her from the others. In a way she'd been relieved when the monks revealed she was the Avatar. At the time, that had been a godsend. It had meant that for all her shortcomings and strange appearance, she had a purpose beyond being an outcast amongst even the recluisive Airbenders themselves. A strange girl who'd never been able to truly detach herself from her emotions and instead thrived from them...

...now the last of her people.

She wasn't even a monk by defintion anymore; a true Airbender wouldn't fret like this.

"Avatar Naruko," Katara began, gesturing at the gaggle of children and women assembled before them, "Meet the entire village. Entire village, meet Naruko." Part of her blanched at the use of her title but she tolerated the theatrics with only a slight sigh.

"Pleased to meet you."

"Are you truly the Avatar, child?" An elderly woman asked, stepping forward. Naruko idly noticed a bit of a familial resemblance to Katara. Where they related, somehow? "I understand my granddaughter is quite taken with you."

_That_ earned her an arched brow.

"Is she now?"

"Gran Gran!" Katara admonished beside her. "Not like that!" Ah, there it was.

"Katara, its alright." Naruko unconcsiously touched a hand to her scarred arm, restraining a grimace as she turned. She was nothing if not respectful towards her elders. "Yes, ma'am. I am." Keenly she felt the woman's eye rake over her, taking in her scars and tattoos, even her whiskered face at a glance. What a strange sight she must've been in these tattered clothes. A teenager who looked like she belonged in an infirmary with an injury like that, yet still stood proud in spite of all the world had thrown at her.

"So you plan on fighting the Fire Nation, then." it was not a question. Neither was the next one. "Are they the ones who gave you that scar?"

The blond nodded jerkily in affirmation, her hair bouncing from the motion. Having since released it from the captivities of her ponytails, it now cascaded down her back in a sea of molten gold, nearly reaching the back of her knees. It had been said she took after her father, Minato, in that regard, with her blue eyes and bright hair. The monks also said she had Kushina's-her mother-wild temperment when it came to being social with others. She supposed she was skittish in that way, if not bold in everything else. Her scar certainly served as a reminder in that regard.

That thought was broken as the aging water tribe woman reached up and past her...and patted Katara on the head.

"Well then," Gran Gran smiled up at her, "It's been so long since I've had hope for this world, but you seem to have brought it back to life again, my little Waterbender." Then, turning back to Naruko, she continued. "I welcome you to our village, young Avatar. We have precious little to give you, but what's ours is yours."

Naruko was left reeling. She'd been expecting an icy reception of sorts. The warmth with which she'd been greeted was...shocking. Unbidden, she found herself bowing again.

"I thank you for your kindness."

"And make sure you take care of my grandaughter."

"Yes, of course_-what?!"_

Impossibly, Kanna's smile grew.

"You're headed to the North Pole, aren't you? She's been searching for a teacher for quite some time now. Who better to learn with than the Avatar?" Once more the whiskered warrior sputtered helplessly, jaw working mutely as Katara's Gran Gran walked back from whence she'd come. The crowd slowly dispersed now that the excitement seemed well and truly over, their children still ambling about restlessly around the new arrivals, more focused on the giant bison than they were the reborn Avatar standing in their midst.

"How did she know-Katara!" Her gaze cut petulantly to the waterbender. "Did you tell her while I was sleeping?!"

"What?! No!"

"Then who-

"I did."

Both girls whirled around; but it was Katara who recovered first.

"Sokka!"

"Its not like I had a choice, alright?! Someone had to tell Gran the truth! And I told Dad I'd keep you safe from threats like her!"

"She is not a threat!"

"Well she certainly acts like one!

"You..." Naruko's face was slowly staining red in aggravation, "Insufferable...you've poked around in affairs that had nothing to do with you!"

"So what if I did?!" Sokka snapped back! "Its not like I expected Gran Gran to give you two her blessing to go off on an adventure!"

"I NEVER SAID I WANTED COMPANY!" Naruko exploded! "You should've stayed out of it! I wished I'd left you on that glacier!"

"Maybe you should have!" They were face to face now, glowering at one another heatedly.

"Why I oughta-

"Pssst!" Thankfully, Katara's gentle nudge served to remind Naruko of where and when she was. "Both of you! The kids. They're _staring."_ Sure enough, the outburst had drawn their attention and more than a few of the other villagers as well. Sokka blanched.

"What," Naruko grouched, "Do you want me to Airbend for them or something?"

Her gaze was telling.

"Alright, just this once." The Avatar sighed and weaved her hand in a circular motion, summoning a tiny twister in the palm of her hand. Exhaling, she blew it toward the children, kicking up a little malestrom of ice and snow in its wake. The little ones squealed at this demonstration, tripping over one another in an attempt to catch the tornado before it snuffled itself out. And then it crashed into Sokka's watchtower, sending it toppling in an avalance of snow. End result? Priceless.

"My watchtower!" Sokka cried!

A laugh burst from Katara's lips. But when she turned to compliment the blond on her aim...

Naruko was gone; all that remained of the enigmatic girl were a series of footprints. She'd simply vanished into thin air.

"Ah, let her go." Sokka muttered. "She's been nothing but trouble."

Katara bristled. She wasn't quite sure what it was that had Naruko and Sokka at one another's throats, but enough was enough.

"And you've been nothing but a big jerk!"

Her brother flinched, stung by the accusation; because it was true.

"Katara, I-

Huffing, she stormed past her sibling and followed the trail left behind by the Last Airbender.

* * *

In hindsight, the Avatar wasn't that difficult to find. Then again, she didn't exactly make it difficult, either. Naruko could've easily taken Appa and departed but she _hadn't;_ instead she'd left behind a clear cut path for a trained eye to follow. And Katar was nothing if not sharp. Still she didn't hastenher pace, instead recalling the teenager's bitter and angry words. She didn't _want _company. Ironically, she had never even considered the idea of going to the North Pole until now-thanks to Sokka's machinations. The idea of leaving home was a painful one, and she knew her brother had just been looking out for her own wellbeing, but still...

_There she was._

Katara slowed in her stride, as she suddenly came upon a streak of blond and orange in the snowdrifts, a lone figure standing prone amidst the wadling forms of the penguins. At first, she had trouble believing what she was seeing here. Naruko. Many of the black and white birds were congregating around the Avatar, eating right out of the palm of her hand. But that wasn't what held her back. There was a sereinity in her gaze that had not been there before, a placcid peace in those jaded blue eyes that once held nothing but sadness and sorrow. It was...entrancing, to say the least.

Naruko smiled as the creatures ate placidly out of her hand, cooing softly and stroking at their feathers, laughing -giggling?- as they continued to swarm her, even when there was no longer anymore fish to be had. She was gentle and kind to those little birds, her personality showing none of the harsh and jagged edges that had been seen back at the glacier and the village. Katara longed to call out to her but feared spoiling the tender moment. And then something spoiled it for her.

Sqwuaking and squalling the penguins scrambled away as a tiger seal suddenly pulled itself up out of the water, its large bulk rippling with exertion as it plodded onto the icy land. Katara had seen these creatures many a time before, but even from this distance she couldn't quite conceal her gasp behind cover. Naruko stared down the seal, unflinching, as it crawled towards her. Imagine the bender's surprise when the Avatar extended a hand without hesitation, smiling as the large predator nuzzled its whiskered face against her palm. Was it her imagination or was the beast...purring?

"You're just a big softie, aren't you?" Naruko murrmured softly as she stroked its snout, those words just loud enough for her to hear. "Go on now, get out of here." Nudging the aquatic hunter on the nose she shooed it away, sending it scurrying back to the icy hole from which it had just emerged. She stood there in silence for a long moment-watching it retreat to the safety of the watery depths once more. With the alpha predator no longer present the penguins gradually began to trickle back in, approaching the blond once more.

"You can come out, now." she called. "I know you're there."

It was only then that Katara realized Naruko had been aware of her prescence all along. This entire time. Blanching slightly, she stepped out of cover and into plain view. The blond immediately beckoned her closer with her staff and the younger bender meekly complied, knowing full well the weight of her temper. When she finally reached the blonde bender, she half-expected her to snap at her. She did not. Instead they stood there in companionable silence, gazing out at the horizon, the now setting sun staining the sky crimson. At last, one of them spoke.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Naruko sighed, her eyes shining wetly with nostalgia. "I used to see sunsets like this all the time back at the Air Temple."

Katara nodded, uncertain of what to say. In any case, Naruko didn't give her the chance to agree.

"Which brings me to my next question. Katara," she began slowly, turning to face her, "What do you want from me?"

There was a silence as she gathered up the nerve to reply. Steeling herself, she looked her elder in the eye.

"I want you to teach me Waterbending.

Naruko cocked her head aside, baffled.

"I cannot teach you, ya know. Surely someone else in your tribe would be a better fit-ah." Understanding dawned on that whiskered face. "There's no one else, is there?"

Katara cringed. "Yep, you're looking at the only Waterbender in the whole South Pole."

"Which is why you wanted to go to the North Pole with me."

Realizing she was waiting or an answer, the Waterbender fumbled to speak, nearly tripping over the words. "Look, I'm sorry I followed you out here. I just wanted to make sure you were alright..." Her courage faltered under that piercing stare, once more struck by how incredibly _old_ those baby blue eyes seemed. The girl had been through a world of hurt and it had marked her in more ways than one. Her family was gone. No wonder she wanted nothing to do with them. "I'll just leave you alone-

"No!" A hand closed around her wrist, holding her fast. There was iron in that vice-like grip, surprising strength in those slim, scarred fingers.

"Please, don't go." Naruko continued softly, releasing her. "This whole mess is my fault." she sounded sorrowed almost. Resigned. "I've been incredibly rude to you both from the moment we met and for that, you have my humble apologies. I should've realized you were a Waterbender from the start. Is your brother one as well?"

"Who, Sokka? Nah, not unless you count jerk-bending." she'd meant it as a harmless jest to break the ice, only realizing how incredibly lame it sounded _after _it left her mouth. To her surprise, Naruko actually cracked a smile at the ill-conceived joke.

"I never really understood boys." she muttered. "They're loud, sweaty, annoying, always trying to prove how tough they are-

"And they flex everytime they see their reflection." Katara added primly.

"Really?"

"No, just my brother."

Naruko laughed at that, the bell-like sound of her mirth filling the air. Then her stomach growled. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't eaten in one hundred years.

"Here," Katara offered. "I've got some seal jerkey."

The Last Airbender tentatively accepted it and turned aside, her teeth sinking into the chewy, tasty treat.

The taste...it was good. Remarkably so. Before Naruko knew it, she'd all but finished the entire thing and felt more full than she had since she'd awoken. Smiling tiredly, she absently noted the crisp scent of the evening air, the cool feel of the snow against her bare feet, and the steady stream of tears now running down her whiskered face. Bringing a hand to scrub away the tears she relished in the feeling she currently felt. It was as if all the anger and aggression locked inside her was slowly trickling away, running downstream with the water on her face.

She smiled... finally feeling _alive_.

Katara was still staring at her. Naruko flushed.

"I-Is there something on my face?" she asked, fearing she'd seen the tears.

"Oh," Katara blinked. "No, its just...

"Just?"

"Your hair." she said. "You've had it down for awhile now. Doesn't it get in the way?"

"What?! No!" Naruko instinctively clutched at her golden locks, trying to shield them from the brunette's prying eyes. Her hair was her pride and joy; she'd never been willing to cut it ever since she was young. The idea of trimming so much as a single hair-it hurt almost as much as the idea of losing her people to the Fire Nation. These long tresses were all that she had to remind her of the mother she'd never met-the woman who had died giving birth to her so long ago. She'd never known her father; the monks had said he was another monk from the Eastern Air Temple who had run off when he'd gotten her mother pregnant back. Strangely though her looks might be her they were all she had to remember her family by and she wouldn't trade them for anything.

"So, how good of a bender are you?" Naruko was looking at her with renewed interest now, bright blue eyes gleaming keenly.

"Well, that's just it. I'm not very good at it." A contemplative expression crossed her visage. "Although...I bet I could get all that gunk out of your hair and give you a cleaning."

"Gunk?" Naruko frowned, skittish at the thought of anyone touching it. "My hair does _not_ have gunk!"

"Its covered in ash and grime." Katara pointed out.

"Still, I really don't think that's...by the winds!"She was interrupted as Katara swiftly ran her hands through her hair expertly-combing the knots out with her hands, nimble fingetips dancing over her scalp, subtly bending water to the battered locks and soothing her skin. Cocking her head aside, Naruto moaned in soft contentment as the oddly pleasurable sensation of having her head stroked hit her. "Okay, I take it back." Another gasp. "This is amaaaaaaazing~!"

Naruko decided then that having her hair cleaned wasn't so bad.

"Wow this is long," Katara murmurred, pulling her fingers through the smoothing tresses. "You've never had anyone cut it before?"

"Nope!" the blond chirruped happily, her anger all but forgotten in the wake of the soothing treatment. "I like it long."

"Why?"

"Eh...

_Damn those eyes!_ Naruko squirmed slightly before relenting under the younger girl's gaze. "Well, everyone always told me my mother had long hair, and this is all I have to remember her by. Its not red like hers, but it makes me happy to know that I look so much like her, hair color or not." Katara seemed to soak in those words, her hand drifting up to the engraved necklace she wore around her neck.

"I know what its like to lose a mother." she murmurred.

Naruko empathized.

"Yeah, well I never really knew mine, so...

Abruptly, her mouth curled into a smile.

"Say, Katara...

"Hmm?"

Still, her grin grew.

"Have you ever gone penguin sledding before?"

As it turned out, Katara had.

* * *

"Where is he?!"

Prince Zuko had no idea just how incredibly close he was to catching the Avatar. Indeed, how could he know that even now she was racing toward him on the back of a penguin? He was far too focused on the cowering villagers standing before him and his men. Already his temper was roused to volcanic proportions thanks to Sokka's efforts against him, made even moreso by the boy's helpless grandmother in his grasp. She, too, was afraid of him, too terrifed to speak.

"He should be about this old," he shook the older woman for emphasis. "Master of all elements!"

When no reply was given, he shoved her back to her people. He wasn't above hurting them to get what he wanted-

Then Sokka's boomerang came back.

CLANG!

Zuko stumbled as the curved weapon clanged into the back of his helmet, filling his ears with the deafening sound. But even stunned as he was, he hadnily managed to turn and swat aside the spear when it came flying at him; shattering the sharpened whale-tooth that was its point in a single blow. Snatching the shaft from the warrior's hand, he jabbed him in the forehead, knocking his fellow teenager down to the snow.

"Not bad, peasant."

"Then you'll love this!"

This war cry came not from Sokka but another; even as Zuko realized this a black and white missile shot across the landscape and slammed into him the penguin's rider making herself known as she leapt from its back to bodily smash into his unprotected flank. Raining down blows on his shoulders and neck she all but roe the helmet from his head. Grabbing hold of his ponytail to jerk his face down into the snow. The reversal was as sudden as it was unexpected, leaving the proud prince momentarily at a loss for words. He lay there, staring into the snow.

_What just happened?_

"Looking for someone?" the words were little more than a growl in his ear; more than enough to invoke the fiery wrath that was his bending. No one made a fool of him! No one!

Gasping Zuko bucked, using his larger body to rear back and drive his skull into the unsuspecting visage of his opponent. A pained cry rewarded his efforts and the hold on his hair fell away, allowing him to scramble to his feet and find his footing once more. Sputtering, brushing the snow and ice from his eyes, he turned to face his new adversary.

Naruko stepped forward, staff whirling slowly in her hand. There was an anger in her eyes Katara realized as she scrambled off her own penguin mount-the once shy, playful teenager with whom she'd come to associate herself having all but vanished in the wake of this new and unexpected arrival. And still the whiskered blond advanced, her lips pulling back to expose an angry, toothy grin.

"Ohhhhhhh," she hissed at Zuko. "I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."

To his credit, the prince only blinked. Now that he'd finally laid eyes on his attacker...she didn't look all that threatening. Kind of...cute, actually. But there was only one thing in Naruko's eyes as he met that girl's steely gaze, and with mounting dread he realized what he had seen it too late. Hate.

"Who are-

He never did get to finish that sentence.

Because the blond snarled, and he suddenly found himself slammed back into the hull of his ship. Wave after wave of wind assaulted him, savaging his armor, relentlessly beating him down, battering at him from every side, offering no respite and no relent in the slightest. Death was the name of this creature, this seemingly hapless, ditzy, girl he'd glanced over without a secound thought. But even as he saw the arrows tattooed upon her arms, even as her eyes flashed white, he realized his mistake.

With every ounce of strength within her, Naruko sent her fist flying towards the monster whose only sin was being part of the Fire Nation. Zuko's nose crumpled beneath the blow with a sickening crunch and he toppled back onto the icy floor. Yes, her name was death.

And she had come for him!

_"You're_ the Airbender?" he gasped out at her.

Naruko growled.

_"And you're dead."_

Instinct took over in Zuko. It was live or die. Kill or be killed. Even as she twirled her staff and sent another gale screaming down at his head, the prince was in motion.

Fire sprang forth from his fingertips as he vaulted to his feet in an impossible motion and kicked, rapidly interposing a wave of heat between him and Naruko's next attack. Flame licked around the edges as his element struggled to stand up against the headwind; tongues of fiery death licking around the edges of their elemental struggle, to taste at their village. Out of the corner of her eye, Naruko saw Katara and the others cringe as a tent caught flame, collectively shrinking back from the roiling inferno. It was with a painful start that she realized something.

She couldn't stay here.

Anger warred with reason deep within Naruko's heart; her very soul screaming at her to continue on and crush the Fire Nation standing before her...but cooler heads prevailed. Her brief time with Katara had taught her something. She wasn't the only one that mattered. These were people. Was she really going to risk their lives-the safety of their home-just for the sake of her vengeance? No. She had to get out of here. And there was only one way that would ensure. The answer was painfully clear to her, galling as it might be. She could let them take her...then escape out to sea, somehow.

The Avatar's eyes hardened as she swung her staff around and pointed it at the prince in front of her, effectively ending their clash. "If I go with you...will you leave them in peace?"

Zuko paused, considering her offer, weighing it against his anger. For all his flaws, he had his honour. If this girl was truly surrendering to him, he saw no reason to harass this puny village any further. It had nothing of strategic value save furs, and he had no need of their food. No, his mind was made up.

"Yes."

"Then...I surrender." the words tasted like bitter bile in her mouth, acid burning her tongue as she dropped her staff and kicked it over to him. "Take me as your prisoner and leave this place." Rasing her hands, she did nothing as his men moved to bind her wrists, but when one made to gag her, she snarled.

"I hope you're not attached to that hand."

Wisely, the guard lowered his arm. When he moved to flank her however, he found himself met with a roundhouse kick that dented his armor and sent him skidding into the snow. Naruko's message was painfully clear in that instant, telegraphed to Water Tribe and Fire Nation both. The Avatar might be bound, but she was not helpless. She had _chosen _to go with the Fire Nation, she was not some helpless prisoner to be bartered with as Zuko saw fit. And if she saw fit to leave...

Somehow, that actually managed to impress the prince.

"I will walk." she declared scornfully, striding up the ramp. Those words finally seemed to jolt Katara out of her daze. Struggling to push through her fellow villagers she tried to reach him, only to find her way barred by the soldiers.

"Naruko! you can't! Don't go with them!"

"I'll be fine." The blond called over her shoulder, never once looking back. "Don't forget to take care of Appa for me. He gets lonely on his own, ya know?"

Katara blinked at that, though the name was utterly lost on Zuko. Was she telling them to follow her? Rescue her? Whatever the case she still found herself helpless as Naruko disappeared into the ship, leaving her cold and dead inside, intensely afraid not only for the safety of the world, but the young girl upon whom that fate surely rested. Naruko...

What was she thinking?

"Set a course for the Fire Nation." Zuko declared, striding up the ramp after her, almost unable to keep the smile from his face. Two years. Two hellishly long years of exile and abandonment, all ended in the blink of an eye. He hadn't expected events to play out this way, but who was he to queston fate? If this was his destiny, to find the Avatar so soon, then he would glady accept it.

"I'm going home."

_Oh, how little he knew..._

**A/N: And there we go. Yes, there WILL be yuri-girl loves girl-action in this fic. I apologize for those of you who don't like it, as one reviewer -I won't name names- has already made their dislike of that element clear. But that's the mindset for this story. Although NarukoxZuko remains an amusing possibility, given their painful pasts. After this we will be seeing a major departure from Canon-Naruko isn't Aang after all, so she won't be acting like him. **

**Finally, and I'm only going to say this once, I am NOT bashing Sokka. I merely took into account that he was very suspicious of Aang in the beginning, and here Naruko outright attacked him when he insulted her. Of course there would be some hostility there. He doesn't trust her, and she certainly doesn't trust him. Heck, she hardly trusts anyone at the moment. They won't be bickering for much longer, though!**

**That aside I sincerely hope you enjoyed the latest chapter and all of the chaos and hilarity that is to come.**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would you Kindly? And of course, enjoy the Preivew! Also, the next chapter for Die Another Day is coming out soon-I've already got well more than Seven thousand words and I just want to live up to your grand expectations, is all =D**

**(Preview!)**

_"Mind if spar with you girls?"_

_Suki and the rest of her warriors startled slightly at the voice-alarmed to find the Avatar leaning against the door of their dojo. She was watching them keenly, interest shining through her bright azure orbs as she made herself known to them._

_They all collectively stared at Naruko, who tilted her head to the side cutely at their silence. "Is that a problem?" Their response was nothing short of enthusiastic._

_"NO!"_

**R&R! =D**


	3. Clash of Wills

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm on the mend. Even better, My grandpa's all but recovered from congestive heart failure, and I managed to sell my old house, though all that money went to more bills. Ugh. Anywho, I've finished moving my things and am now a proud resident of East Berlin, Pennsylvania! Alas I'm now jobless, and the bills are piling up because of my health. Fun, right? But enough about this.**

**As I'm sure you've all noticed, I've been on a bit of an updating binge as of late. I've rewatched several shows, reread manga to its latest chapter. And I realized something. I wanted to try my hand at a slower-paced fic. My others are just fine, but I wanted to make this more realistic. More character time, instead of setting Naruto on a path and making him run it, he'll walk before he remembers what it truly means to sprint.**

**On that note, I should warn you. This Naruto is a bit more vulnerable-emotionally-than most. Why, you ask? Because not only is he a SHE, but unlike his others counterpart there's very little left to redeem here and she really isn't afraid to shed blood for the sake of her duty. However-her tendency to violence has also made her emotionally crippled of a sort. She's not exactly open to positive emotion at present, but that'll be a changing soon. She's been scarred-in more ways than one-and it shows in this chapter.**

**Anywho, I managed to put this up here at points between job hunting. Prepare to laugh in this chapter so...**

**...aways we go!**

_"This is pretty good tea...!"_

_~?!_

**Clash**

"Soooo, I had tea with your uncle. Not bad guy...considering he's Fire Nation."

Zuko felt a muscle jump violently in his jaw as he glowered at Naruko, his teeth grinding togethers as he struggled to repress his anger at the bewitching blonde draped across the rail only yards away. Needless to say, he did not succeed. Every second he spent staring at this arrogant airbender only stoked the hot flame in his stomach, spurring him to an action he was almost certain he'd regret. This was wrong. He should be calmly resting in his bunk, not allowing her to interrogate him whilst she sipped at her tea. The situation had been hopelessly reversed from the moment they'd embarked, and he had been powerless to make it otherwise.

No escape attempt had been made as of yet, but he was certain it was only a matter of time. She was just waiting for the right moment, that was that. She had to be. Else she wouldn't be tormenting him like this. But hours had since passed and still, she continued to talk to him.

"Why are you doing this?" he seethed at her, snarling against her bemused expression. "Do you enjoy tormenting me?"

"Not really, no." she replied, delicately drinking her gingseng once more, her bewitching blue eyes never leaving his, not even for a moment. "I mean, I kinda did at first but now? I just feel sorry for you-actually. The banished prince, scarred by his father, doomed to forever chase the avatar-little ol' moi-until the end of his days. And now that you finally have me? You don't know what to do with yourself. You're even more twisted up inside than ever before and its killing ya. At least I have an outlet. I mean, look at you!" At his thunderous expression, she was all too happy to continue her subtle mockery. "You want so badly to kill me don't you scar boy? I can see it in your eyes. You hate me."

Zuko reeled. Not form the words, but from the truth within them. She knew. He didn't know how, but she _knew._

"Who told you that?!"

"Your uncle." came the ever-so eloquent answer. "Chatty, that one. But back to the bit about you wanting to kill me. You obviously want to, scars. A blind bandit could tell you that." she was tempting him. Mocking him. Zuko knew this and yet, with every word she spoke, the Airbender dug herself deeper into him, picking him apart with ever syllable. Finally, he could take it no more. At the meintion of his mark, he rounded on her with a sibilant hiss.

"Don't," he warned, his voice dropping in a low growl as he spun to face her, "Call me that."

Naruko's lips quirked into a smile. She cocked her head aside cutely. "Whyever not?"

_"Because."_

There was a silence. And then:

"Sca-

Zuko whirled with a wordless scream, the fireball already forming in his hand. Imagine his surprise then when her hand closed around his fist, snuffing the flame out like a tiny candle. They stood there for but an instant of silence, a sliver of time. Naruko studied him for a moment, unfaltering as she held fast, her grip shifting to his wrist and wrenching the limb behind his back. Then, ever so slowly, she smiled.

"You know," she began, her words the most naked of whispers, "I've been called many things. A fast learner. Genius. Prodigy, even. If I see something -anything- once, just once, I can duplicate it. And you've shown me enough of your firebending today...that I think I've learned something." Drawing a deep breath, she pulled her free hand backwards, fingers clenching into a fist. "Your uncle was right when I asked him-the power comes from the breath, not the muscles. This energy flows outside our bodies and becomes something more. The physical representation of our will. Something like...fire."

Then she firebent at him.

It was a straightforward motion, her fist simply snapping forward to produce a thin lance of flame. It shot past him with a might _whoosh _carromed harmlessly off the iron hull and into the sea, where it fizzled out quietly amidst the glaciers.

Zuko gawped, his silence overshadowed by her smug smile.

"But you...how did you...

"Before I took that century-long nap the monks taught me a thing or two about firebenders and their nuances." she twisted aside as his leg lashed out, sweeping over him effortlessly. "For starters, you take away their oxygen, and all their bending becomes useless in a fight. Also, no offense to insult your tea-loving uncle, but from what I've seen so far...

_"They're predictable!"_

In a single, startling movement the Airbender swept herself off the rail and vaulted at him in a great gust of wind; her hair swaying violently from the summoned storm, bringing her face mere inches from his. He never saw the technique that bested him but it was certainly felt. One moment he was standing the next he was clutching at his throat, gagging and trying to breathe when there was no air to be had. A wave of her wrist and sensation slithered back into his larynx, allowing him to breathe once more. In that instant, he became clearly aware of the clenched fist pointed at his face.

She smirked at him over her outstretched arm, flames flicking at the edges of her fingertips.

"Whaddya say now, scars?"

The prince balked.

Naruko was surprisingly tall for a girl, he realized, only an inch or so shorter than him. And her eyes. Saphire bored into saffron without relent; refusing to back down at the fire in his gaze. Unbidden, his eyes strayed to her scar, the ugly burn that marred her arm, shoulder, and even part of her neck, a blotch on her otherwise flawless beauty. But Naruko, she was proud of her scar; it signified her strength. _His_ only reminded him of his weakness on that fateful day. His failure.

Perhaps that was part of the reason he couldn't stand to look at her; because she was everything he wasn't. The picture of pristine composure-utterly unfetered by everything that had been thrown at her. In a way, she was almost like Azula. And he loathed her all the more for it.

"Leave me alone!"

Biting back the insidious urge to incinerate the Last Airbender, he stormed off the deck for the sanctity of his quarters. Hopefully, he thought, she wouldn't follow him there. Once more, he was proven hopelessly wrong in his belief. The soft padding of her feet followed after him, an almost silent shadow that dogged his every move. He ignored her, hoping in vain she'd grow bored of this game and leave him be.

"You're just like Azula." he snarled, refusing to slow, not daring to look back at her. "Always so perfect, so dogged. Everything comes naturally to you...

"Ah," her sing song voice chimed, "Maybe she'd be more fun to mess with! But for now, I'll have to make do with you, I suppose."

_"Aaargh!"_

Things weren't working out at all as he'd hoped they would. He should have known better. But it had all seemed so simple at first. Fate had handed him the Avatar on a silver platter and instead of ending him as he had feared she might. Yet instead she'd _surrendered_ allowing him to capture her and instead make full speed for home. And so they _were_ beginning to see the glaciers thinning around them. But not soon enough. He wasn't entirely sure where everything had gone terribly, horribly wrong, only that it had. Instead of being taken to the brig as he'd instructed, this insufferable Avatar had simply taken it upon herself to roam the ship unbound and wreak all sorts of havoc, perusing their weapons and wares, sharing tea with uncle and the like. As if she owned the place! And now, as if to add insult to injury, she'd somehow picked up a modicum of Firebending solely by watching him and listening to Iroh!

It was insufferable!

"Oh, and one more thing-

Something snapped inside Zuko, a wellspring of anger and wrath sprining forth. All those years of searching for the Avatar, hunting, scrounging, and now he wished he'd never found her. She mocked him at every turn, challenged his beliefs, and constantly made him think. She was his enemy! His foe! She was his prisoner! She should be under his control! So why, _why_ did this keep happening to him?!

"What do you want from me?!" he roared. Whatever she was going to say, planned to say, he didn't give her the chance. With one hand he dashed the tea from her grasp, sending the warm liquid spilling out across the wall, the ceramic cup shattering against the iron hull. With the other he seized her, bodily slamming the blonde into the nearest door. He'd expected Naruko, to flinch. She didn't so much as bat an eyelash. Instead she simply _stared, _those bright blue eyes silently damning him for his weakness.

And then she breathed.

_Whoosh._

A wall of wind explods out of her mouth, launching him away from her and slamming him into the far wall like a rag doll. Stunned, he slumps, collapsing to the ground in a heap. He waits for her to approach and deliver a final insult of some sort. But nothing comes.

Naruko sighed.

"We forge our own honor, scar boy." she breathed, reaching down to pat his marred face. Her fingers trail from the motion, surprisingly gentle given her history. "It is not given to us. Not by anyone. When did you lose sight of that, I wonder?"

The Prince said nothing to that; because, her words had shaken him. He simply lay there and stared up at her-his face devoid of any expression. That silent moment seemed to extend indefinitely. Then, without another word, Naruko broke the stalemate turned and walked away, her hips swishing back and forth until she finally rounded a corner and was mercifully lost from sight.

Zuko watched her go. Then he realized he'd been staring.

"What's wrong with me...?"

Shaking his head, he slammed the door shut behind him and barred it.

He did not emerge for quite some time.

* * *

"He didn't take it well, did he?"

"Not even remotely." Naruko sighed at Iroh as she flopped down onto the cot beside him. It was strange she thought, colluding with a Firebender, spilling her heart and soul out to a man she should by all rights, loathe above all else and everything. But Iroh was different. She wasn't sure when she'd realized it, but somewhere between the tea and the talks she'd come to understand that this man had just as much of a pained past as she did. Perhaps even more. Losing his son had wounded him somehow, marked him in ways that she couldn't quite understand.

"So? What are you going to do now?"

The Avatar considered it for a moment. She'd kept Katara and Sokka at bay for nearly two days now, instead of being rescued posthaste. She'd gotten what she'd come here for, learning the first nuances of Firebending in only a matter of days. So for what reason did she have to stay in the first place? Zuko couldn't stop her, and Iroh certainly didn't seem inclined to stand in her way after their talks. Deep in her heart she knew that he was right in a sense; she'd learned something more than valuable during her stay here. Perspective. Perhaps the Fire Nation wasn't as wholly evil as she'd thought. Perhaps not.

Either way, her mind was made up. Ozai needed to die. And she couldn't accomplish that until she mastered the elements. She'd gotten a head start on Fire, but she still needed to learn Water and Earth. And she would not find either on this ship. Sitting up, she sighed.

"I'm going to leave." she said at last.

Iroh laughed at that, deep and low from his belly. "I thought as much. At least I can say that I had tea with the Avatar."

Naruko appraised him for a long moment, frowning.

"You're really just going to let me go?"

The former general merely chortled and stroked at his beard. "If you'd asked me that a few days ago, I would've said no." His eyes lingered on her scars, tracing the marks. "But after seeing your scars, I say otherwise, now." At her baffled expression, he swiftly ammended those words. "You are young, Naruko and still learning your way in this world. And yet even after everything that has been done to you, despite all the hurt and all the strife, you still seek to restore balance to this world. I think it I would be doing you a great disservice, were I to try and stop you now."

"And Zuko?"

"In a twisted sort of way, you give my nephew hope. So long as he has you to chase, I won't interfere."

"Good. I'd hate to have to kill you."

"I think you'd get along well with Azula." Iroh said suddenly. "You certainly seem to have the same...mannerisms."

Her ears perked up at that.

"That's twice I've heard her name now. I take it she's someone important?"

Iroh simply smiled.

"Just pray that you never meet her."

Naruko did something she'd never expected to do, then.

She _bowed._

"Its been a pleasure, sifu."

* * *

"What, that's it?" Sokka balked in the dead of night as Naruko clamored onto Appa's saddle. "They just let you go?" For a long moment her only reply was silence as she swarmed up the bison's furry hide and squirmed into the seat. They'd been following her at a distance for the last two days, their first rescue attempt having been repulsed quite violently. Katara could only wonder why the blonde had insisted that she stay for as long as she had; it didn't make any sense...

"Something like that." the Avatar whispered. "I learned a few new tricks." Flexing her fingers, she summoned a small fireball to her hand. It danced there a moment, the warm tongues of fire lighting the darkness with its soft touch of light.

"Oh." Katara blinked. "Well, that explains a lot...

"That reminds me," Sokka grumbled, reaching around into his pack. "We found...this. Friend of yours?"

Suddenly and without warning, a bllur of white and brown leapt from the sack and into the girl's arms, clamoring onto her neck and behind her head for safety. Naruko nearly squealed before she realized who-what-had secured itself on her shoulder. A familair chattering greeted her ears.

"Momo!" Naruko grinned in delight at the sight of her old pet. "But how did he...?"

Sokka thrust a thumb at the roll of sacks and furs in the saddle, doubtless where the lemur had secured itself all those years ago.

"Stowaway."

* * *

Everything moved most swiftly after that.

Eventually they happened up the island of Kiyoshi...and nearly got themselves eaten by a giant sea monster. Naruko wondered if they should've visited the Air Temple but...no. Going back there would have caused too much pain. Her friends and family were gone. Vising there would have been pointless.

"So...I'm guessing that was an Unagi."

"Well, Unagi or not, I'd rather not stick around." Sokka decided, dusting himself off. "Time to hit the rooooooo-what the heck?!"

They hit without warning.

One moment they were standing beneath the trees, listening to Sokka. The next, four shadows leapt from the branches and attacked them. In the time that it took Naruko to turn her head Sokka, Katara, even Momo were all subdued-bound and blindfolded-thrown down to the sands at her feet. Naruko was spared only because he'd been standing near the beach. It gave him just enough time to realize their attackers weren't men as he'd first suspected, but women. No, not even that. Girls!

Interesting.

Even as they closed on her she spun, a wall of wind leaping from her fingers.

"Mind if spar with you girls?"

Suki and the rest of her warriors startled slightly at the voice-alarmed to find the Airbender hanging merrily from a nearby branch. She was watching them keenly, interest shining through her bright azure orbs as she made herself known to them.

They all collectively stared at Naruko, who tilted her head to the side cutely at their silence. "Is that a problem?" Their response was nothing short of enthusiastic.

"NO!"

**A/N: And there we go. Yes, there WILL be yuri-girl loves girl-action in this fic. I apologize for those of you who don't like it, as one reviewer -I won't name names- has already made their dislike of that element clear. But that's the mindset for this story. Although NarukoxZuko remains an amusing possibility, given their painful pasts. After this we will be seeing a major departure from Canon-Naruko isn't Aang after all, so she won't be acting like him. **

**Finally, and I'm only going to say this once, I am NOT bashing Sokka. I merely took into account that he was very suspicious of Aang in the beginning, and here Naruko outright attacked him when he insulted her. Of course there would be some hostility there. He doesn't trust her, and she certainly doesn't trust him. Heck, she hardly trusts anyone at the moment. They won't be bickering for much longer, though!**

**That aside I sincerely hope you enjoyed the latest chapter and all of the chaos and hilarity that is to come.**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would you Kindly? And of course, enjoy the Preivew! Also, the next chapter for Die Another Day is coming out soon-I've already got well more than Seven thousand words and I just want to live up to your grand expectations, is all =D**

**(Preview!)**

_Naruko yelped and ducked aside as a swathe of fire sizzled over her head. Bending it away, she turned to face the foe who'd been hunting her._

_"Are you insane?!"_

_"No," Azula laughed, "I'm having the time of my life!"_

**R&R! =D**


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